proverb · Words worth keeping
Every path hath a puddle.
Every path hath a puddle.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Each course of action may bring some difficulty. The puddle makes an obstacle seem part of the journey, encouraging realistic expectations without claiming that every problem is unavoidable or worth enduring.
Example
A community choir compares two rehearsal venues, weighing travel and room availability rather than expecting either option to satisfy every preference.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The path represents a chosen course, and its puddle represents an unwelcome difficulty encountered along it. The proverb can counter the assumption that another option would be completely trouble-free. That does not make all routes equally good or all obstacles equally small. Some difficulties can be avoided, repaired or addressed with support, while others are reasons to choose a different path. The useful reading compares actual options instead of demanding perfection from one and imagining perfection in the others. It makes room for preparation and adaptation without treating a foreseeable serious problem as merely an ordinary inconvenience that someone should tolerate.
When to use it
Use it when setting realistic expectations about the difficulties attached to different choices.
Keep in mind
Obstacles vary in seriousness and may be removable; the saying does not justify enduring harm.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English